


If I had Time

by MacNPotato



Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, How Do I Tag, Original Character(s), Slow Burn, Tags Are Hard, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-30
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-11-21 11:27:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11356554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MacNPotato/pseuds/MacNPotato
Summary: Aloy finds Elisabet's journal.





	1. The Discovery

It took her weeks to go through all her things.  The more that Aloy discovered, the more she learned about her “mother.” From many of the data points that Aloy had found of Elisabet during her quest to stop HADES, she came to realize that Elisabet was a more secluded person. One who would rather keep to themselves. That didn’t mean she was a robot incapable of feeling human emotions; she did teach GAIA how to feel after all. However, Elisabet always seemed like a superhuman to Aloy before she started to go through her things.

Aloy had found many interesting items from Elisabet’s life. Including the yearbook from Elisabet’s senior year in college, where the only picture of Elisabet’s mother was safely tucked away. It was graduation day, her mother hugging her tightly, a firm smile planted firmly on both of their faces. Her mother’s eyes held pride that Aloy had once seen in Rost’s eyes. Elisabet’s smile was genuine as if the only person she cared about was her mother.  

Elisabet talked about her mother often, she was her role model, much like Rost had been to Aloy.

Aloy finally started to feel like she understood her genetic blueprint until the last journal turned the tables. All Elisabet’s writings or talks with GAIA had been stored inside data points, but this one article, an entire journal, buried at the bottom of a large crate. One last journal.

It was fragile, to say the least, it looked like it could fall apart. It looked well used like almost every page had something on it. Its brown leather cover was bound together by a thick string. Aloy gingerly ran her fingers across the capitalized ES on the cover, admiring its beautiful detail.

When Aloy finally opened the cover, she was surprised to be met with words she understood. Or as the old ones called it “English.” Aloy skimmed over each page, but one entry caught her eye. It was dated on Elisabet’s birthday.

_March 11, 2065_

  1. _Not much of an accomplishment, mother is going on 75 in Elysium._



_Everybody came by to say happy birthday. To which I replied, “Thank you, get back to work.” I could’ve been nicer, but we are running out of time.  At least they cared. I guess?_

_Mother called today. She told me she missed me, and like every other time she calls, I apologized. “There’s nothing to apologize for” is what she always tells me. But I can see it in her eyes, she is sad. I wish I could be with her. She doesn’t have anyone at Elysium, and the thought of her alone at night makes my inner child weep._

_Mother never told me what to do with my time. She always said, “Elisabet, I love you, but I cannot be not in charge of your time. So, if you want to waste it watching documentaries on Netflix be my guest.”_

_But here is what mother never told me. Time is game, like monopoly, except there’s only one rule. The player never wins. Time will always be the champion._

_Like the song says “Life’s like an hourglass glued to the table,” We all wish we could flip in around; start over. But when all the sand is gone that’s it, it’s done. We all wish we could have more, but that-that’s just a part of life._

_But if I had more time…. What would I have done with it?_

Aloy knew that when it came to time, she had an abundance of it. She was young, only 24, but Elisabet was 44 when she started to work on Zero Dawn, and in less than a year her life would be cut short. Time wasn’t Elisabet’s friend.

Aloy continued reading, discovering all that Elisabet wished she had done. Her writing tugged at Aloy’s heartstrings. There was so much that she wanted to do, but the odds weren’t on her side. By the time that Aloy had finished she found herself wiping away tears she didn’t know she had been shedding.

Here she was surrounded by Elisabet’s things, crying like an emotional teenager. She didn’t know how long she had been crying, but it wasn’t until GAIA’s soothing voice broke through the sound of her sobbing.

“Why do you cry, Aloy?”

Aloy’s hazel eyes looked up and were met with the projection of GAIA. “I’m sorry, I was just reading Elisabet’s journal.”

“Why do you apologize?”

Aloy’s lip quivered as she stared back at the journal in her lap. Her red hair enclosed her head in a little prison. Her knuckles turned white gripping the sides of the journal, fighting back even more tears. “I don’t know, GAIA,” Aloy finally spoke. “I don’t know what I’m feeling.”

“Aloy, would it help to talk about it?”

Aloy sighed, once more she looked back upon the AI. “GAIA, you knew Elisabet better than anybody. Right?” She asked the AI, to which GAIA just nodded, her expression staying neutral. "Was she happy?”

“Dr. Sobeck had shown signs of depression; she never admitted to being sad, however.”

Aloy nodded, understanding. “What would she have done? If she had time?” Aloy already knew the answer, of course, but GAIA had a way of wording things that made Aloy see the right side of things. It had been that way since Aloy rebooted her.

“Aloy, I do believe you already know that answer. Dr. Sobeck would be beyond proud of what you have accomplished. It is up to you now, to decide what you would like to do with the time that you have earned.”

Aloy looked back down at the black ink on the page. She ran her fingers across the smooth page before she smiled and nodded her head back up at GAIA. “Thank you, GAIA.”

GAIA returned Aloy’s smile, her hologram flickering away, indicating that GAIA had shut down for the night.

Before Aloy went to bed that night, she tucked Elisabet’s belongings back into the large trunk but kept the journal for herself. After placing it next to the world trinket she had found at Elisabet’s final resting place, she made herself comfortable in the makeshift bedroll, slowing drifting into peaceful slumber.

* * *

It took her nearly a week to get back to the Embrace. Once there, Aloy was greeted by the people who once shunned her and called her outcast. Aloy wanted to hate them, she felt like she should, but she couldn’t forget the day before the proving where Rost told her to ‘embrace the tribe.’ However, even after five years of living with them as their “Anointed,” Aloy still felt out of place. Nothing was the same without Rost.

At the same time, Aloy knew she couldn’t just abandon them, treat them like she never knew them. She found a way to make it home, even if wasn’t as comfortable as Meridian. She had built a life in the Sacred Lands, and she knew that she wasn’t prepared to leave them.

So, there she was, almost two weeks after the discovery of the journal, sitting on the edge of the cliff that Rost and stood and looked out upon so many years ago. Her knees were pulled tightly to her chest as she overlooked Mother’s Heart. Aloy could only handle the Nora in small doses, too many at once and suddenly the entire tribe was trying to kiss her feet.

It was the night before the proving, and even from atop the cliff, Aloy could hear the festival. She knew that she should probably be there, but she hadn’t gone to the proving since the year that she ran.

‘Seems like it was only yesterday,' she thought.

And it did. Her life was so simple before the proving. One where she wasn’t the ‘Anointed’ by the very tribe, she was shunned by. One where she wasn’t the clone, daughter, or whatever she was of some 21st-century scientist. One where GAIA wasn’t in the picture, where HADES wasn’t her problem. At the same time, she knew that everyone would be dead if she hadn’t cared as she did.

Aloy was suddenly very aware of the heavy necklace around her neck, and the trinket she had attached to it.

Rost gave her the push she needed to get going. Elisabet helped her endure when she was ready to give up.

“Ya know, for a Seeker, your terrible at Hide and Seek.”

At the sound of the voice, Aloy jumped, instinctively reaching for her spear that she left inside the cabin. The owner of the voice stepped back, realizing they had scared her. Aloy looked the intruder in the face only to see that it was Varl.

“You realize if I had my spear I would have killed you?” Aloy asked as he joined her on the ground.

Varl shrugged, setting his bow down next to him. “You’d think after five years I wouldn’t be so shocked when you don’t show up for the festival.” When she didn’t respond, he looked over at her. “Is everything ok?”

“Everything’s fine,” she replied quickly. Probably too quickly.

“Hey,” he slid closer to her wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “What’s going on?”

Aloy was overly interested in her fingernail to look him in the eye. “Varl, I’m ok. You should be down in Mother’s Heart,” she said.

“Nah, it’s not that interesting this year. There’s no Carja to through fruit at.”

Aloy laughed slightly, and finally, looked over at him. “I thought you liked the Carja?” She asked him teasingly.

Varl smirked, tilting his head slightly. “I do, but only because of you.”

Aloy fell into his embrace; her head rested against his shoulder. He marveled down at her. Her flame red hair was tickling his nose as he placed a kiss against her temple, and they fell into a comfortable silence, both starring looking at the view before them.

The sun had begun to set, casting a warm pink tone on the sky. The snow of the mountains shining brightly in the dimming light. Mother’s Heart illuminated by campfires, resting in the shadow of the mountain. The blue lights of Watcher and Striders spotted throughout the valley.

The proving festival had begun quickly calm down, the cheers of the drunken Nora fading into the night. The occasion turned solemn as another day sunk into oblivion. From the Cliffside, Aloy and Varl could see the lanterns of the Proving contestants drifting off into the painted sky. Some landed in trees while others disappeared behind the mountain.

The pink in the sky dissolved into orange, which then turned to red, and finally mixed into a black. The stars loomed the sky in their constellations, the moon a perfect crest, lighting the earth with a white glow. And one by one the Nora fell asleep, the festival following them. And then there was silence, utter and complete silence.

Aloy closed her eyes; she felt herself drifting to sleep. The quiet was unusual for her; there was always a fire or machine that kept her awake. But the silence that had consumed her weighed down on her eyelids.

‘You can’t fall asleep now,’ she thought. ‘Wake up, wake up.’

She opened her eyes.

Only she wasn’t on the cliff, sitting next to Varl. She was in a pitch-black room that seemed to have no end. She heard the unmistakable sound of someone crying; it echoed throughout the room. Aloy turned around quickly. She saw a figure, a woman, sitting on the floor with her legs pulled tightly to her chest. Aloy walked toward the person, her steps echoing along with the crying. Her breathing quickened as she approached the figure. With shaking hands, Aloy touched the woman’s shoulder. The crying stopped. The woman turned her head toward Aloy, who stepped back in surprise.

Elisabet.

Aloy pulled her hand away, but Elisabet grabbed her wrist. Aloy felt as though she had been burned, but she couldn’t find it in herself to pull her hand away.

“Run.”

Aloy opened her mouth to speak, but the question was answered for her when she saw Ted Faro slowly approaching with more than a dozen corruptors behind him.

“Run!”

Aloy heard Elisabet shouting at her to run. But to where? Aloy looked around furiously, trying to find an exit.

“Aloy,” Elisabet said, her voice now calm and soothing, like a mother. “Aloy,” she said again, with a little more determination.

Aloy gave up her search or an exit and looked to Elisabet. She gave Aloy a reassuring smile and took her hand once more. “Wake up.”

She opened her eyes.

She felt an arm around her when she looked to see who it was, her mind tricked, and for a moment saw the tail of a corruptor. Out of panic, she pushed herself away. She blinked her eyes back into focus her brain set into reality. She looked around for weapons anything she could fight with, but to her horror only saw Varl sitting next to her, with his hands up in defense.

‘That explains the arm,’ Aloy thought.

“Varl, are you ok?” She asked, touching his shoulder.

“I’m pretty sure I should be asking you the same thing,” he replied with a chuckle. “You looked like you were having a nightmare,” he said.

“I felt like I was having a nightmare,” she shot back.

“Want to talk about it?”

“No,” she answered quickly, thinking that he wouldn’t understand. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Aloy, I- “

“It’s not that big of a deal!” Aloy cut him off.

An awkward silence formed over them, and Varl suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

“Uh, I should probably go. Sona gave me an early shift,” He said trying to make it not sound like he just wanted to get out there quickly.

Varl rose to his feet quickly, grabbing his bow that he had placed beside him. Before he could leave, however, Aloy grabbed his wrist, just as Elisabet had in her nightmare. “Varl, I’m sorry,” she conceded.

Varl smiled warmly at her, she didn’t have anything to apologize for, but it made him feel better nonetheless. “I really do have an early shift," he laughed, accepting her not-needed apology.

“Then go!” she exclaimed, dropping his hand. “I don’t need Sona’s wrath in my life.”

Varl laughed. “Goodnight, Aloy.”

“Goodnight, Varl."


	2. Story of My Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't have a Beta; all mistakes belong to me.

Somehow, Aloy found herself wandering the streets of Mother's Heart. Hands stuffed in pockets, watching her drag on the floor. Her head hung low enough to shield her face from the crowds but not enough to miss the children that would run in front of her path.

Many Nora tried to greet her, even try to bow, but Aloy ignored them and pressed on. Being Anointed mean nothing to her, in fact, she could care less about her status with the Nora. Their titles could never make up for the emotional pain that they put her through. Funny how the Nora can worship something, but shun the very thing that comes from it. Since Aloy discovered her origins, she could never understand how the Nora could be so hypocritical. Only a few Nora had accepted her dismay to the ‘sacred' title, Varl among them, and Aloy appreciated every one of them.

Some of the Nora that she passed tried to touch her, another thing that Aloy had to get used to. Some were straight up creepy; others were people just begging to show their gratitude for all she had done. But when a small hand grabbed her wrist, it was different, as if it was desperate. Just like Aloy had caught Avad's hand fight before she fought Helis.

Aloy looked up in shock, not expecting anyone to need her help in Mother's Heart. She looked at the hand, following the arm it was attached to. A child. A young girl, long brown hair, no older than seven, gripping Aloy's wrist like a lifeline.

Aloy knelt to the girl's level to look her in the eye. The girl took the sign that she had gotten her attention and dropped her wrist. The girl was apprehensive, like talking to her was still taboo, but Aloy gave her a smile that said ‘it's ok' and the girl loosened.

"Aloy?" she finally asked in a small voice. This took her back at first. None of Aloy's friends had children, except for Fia, who had taken residence up in Mother's Crown. ‘Not important right now, Aloy' she told herself, forcing her attention back to the girl.

"Yes?"

"I-I need your help." Aloy almost laughed at the girl's hesitation, but she recognized the fear lingered in her voice. "My brother, he fell down some rocks near the waterfall. He's not tall enough to climb back up."

Aloy watched tears spring into the girl's eyes, her small frame shaking with them. "I was supposed to be watching him," she said, the tears slipped from her eyes.

"Hey," Aloy said, using the pad of her thumb to wipe away the tears. "It'll be ok." She smiled. "I'll get your brother."

"You will?" She asked, sniffling.

"Yeah, I will," Aloy smiled, rising to her feet. She extended her hand out to the girl, who had lost all hesitation and took it at once. "Now, take me to your brother."

The girl leads Aloy through Mother's Heart, moving through the crowd with ease. While Mother's Heart nowhere near as crowded as Meridian, it was still densely populated, and groups congregated where they could. Aloy was impressed at how the girl could navigate her way through the crowded village.

‘Guess that's what happens when you grow up here," Aloy thought.

The girl took Aloy off the main road behind a cabin that was in a more secluded part of Mother's Heart. Aloy knew the waterfall that the girl had spoken of, the one her brother fell by. The waterfall was tall, it could kill anyone not wearing her ancient armor, and if the girl's brother fell, he wouldn't have survived, even if he did land in water.

Aloy's heart was pounding in her chest. It was one thing to tell an adult their loved one died; it was another to tell a child.

"He's down there, on the ledge," Aloy heard through the cloud she had formed in her brain. Slowly Aloy peered over the edge of the rock. She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding when she saw a young boy laying on a ledge less than ten feet from the top of the cliff. She let her head fall back and said an inaudible "thank you" to the sky.

"Ok," Aloy whispered while reached into her hunting gear, pulling out the rappelling rope. While there was, no rappel point that Aloy could hang the rope from, a conveniently placed tree stump provided a stable alternate.

Aloy knotted one end of her rope around the base of the stump. She tugged on it slightly, but wasn't satisfied with its hold so; she knotted it once more for good measure.

Beside her, the girl was watching her every move, how she handled rope and secured it around the dead tree. Aloy could feel her eyes on her skin.

Aloy looped the rest of the rope in her hand and turned to the girl. "I'm going to go get your brother; I need you to stay here."

The girl nodded, biting her bottom lip.

Aloy took hold of the rope in her hand, turning around to descend the rope. Carefully she moved her foot down, gripping the rope tighter when she felt as though she would slip. There was one steep step that had to be taken, her foot slid on it slightly, sending some rocks plummeting to the river below. This got the boy's attention.

‘You did not fight three Deathbringers, to die on a forty-five-degree slope.'

With small movements and patience, Aloy could stabilize herself on the small ledge. Next to her, boy was eyeing her carefully, looking for any signs of danger.

"It's ok," Aloy said in a soft voice, kneeling to his eye level. "I'm here to help," she added.

The boy looked at her with puffy red eyes and tear stained cheeks. But Aloy couldn't focus on that; rather, she was looking at a cut that rested on the top of his eye brow.

_"You're bleeding, let me have a look."_

The cut started at his inner eyebrow and stopped at its arch. It had bled long enough to leave a trail down his face and onto his shirt. The cut wasn't large enough so that it would need stitches, but it would leave a scar much like Aloy's.

"I want my mama," he whimpered, burying his face in Aloy's shoulder, transferring blood to her shirt.

In any other situation, Aloy would have been mad, but the desperation in the young boy's voice reminded her of herself as a youngster.

"Then let's go see her, ok?" Aloy said quietly. The boy nodded against her shoulder, gripping her shirt when Aloy rose to her feet.

Aloy repositioned the boy so that he rested on her back with his arms wrapped around her neck. His weight was heavy, and Aloy knew that she wouldn't be as nimble on the way back up. ‘Slow and steady' she told herself.

One step at a time, she climbed the slope, once again holding fast to the rope. She was nearly there when she felt the weight of the boy being lifted off her shoulders. She looked up and saw a woman who looked remarkably like the young girl holding the boy.

‘Must be their mother,' Aloy thought.

Aloy quickly got herself to flat land after that. She untied her rappelling rope from the tree stump and threw it back into her pouch. Meanwhile, the woman who was holding the young boy stood cautiously off to the side. Her arms wrapped tightly around the boy while the young girl gripped her free hand.

Aloy approached the trio.

"Anointed, I am so sorry! My daughter should never have- "

Aloy held up a hand, signaling the woman to stop talking. "It's ok, really, it is," Aloy said. "I don't mind," she added.

The woman didn't look convinced. "I'm sure you had other things to do."

Aloy laughed. "You'd be surprised; I'm not a busy as some people think."

For the first time since she arrived, the woman smiled. "You're very humble, that's a rare quality to find," the woman said, still smiling.

Aloy didn't know how to respond to that. Nobody in the tribe dared tried to talk to her, even when they did all they wanted was her blessing as if that meant anything. To receive such a compliment made Aloy feel like a small child.

"Anointed, please let me serve you supper, it is the least I can do."

"There is no need to repay me," Aloy said ducking her head to her chest.

"You saved the world; we are all in your debt."

Aloy snapped her head up at her words. The woman's words mirrored those of Charles Ronson.

_"She gave up everything for the hope of life on this planet, and we are all in her debt."_

Aloy refused to let Elisabet seep into her thoughts; she wouldn't be able to keep herself in check if she did. She shook her head, as though to physically shake them from her head.

She smiled at the woman. "You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?" she asked.

"Nope."

"Well then, lead the way," Aloy said gesturing to the path.

The woman smiled happily, and the young girl who hadn't spoken a word the entire conversation squealed in delight. Her mother rolled her eyes and began walking back into Mother's Heart. The young girl practically skipped after her.

"What did I just get myself into?" Aloy whispered to herself.

* * *

The mother opened the door to her cabin. It was much like the one Aloy grew up in. Small with barely enough room to accommodate a single family. Aloy found this odd considering that most Nora slept in lodges with 10-20 other people. Aloy refrained from asking anything, not wanting to come off as presumptuous.

"Take a seat anywhere," the woman said, setting her son down in a small cot. "Rayana, can you pour some stew for your brother, please."

Aloy sat a small table in the corner of the cabin, watching the scene play out. The young girl, Rayana, quickly followed her mother's directions while she cared for her brother. Rayana carried a bowl and a ladle in her arms over to the pot of stew that her mother left to slow cook. She put a few spoonful's in into the small bowl, barely filling it halfway, and she carried it over to her mother.

"Just set it on the table, I'm just cleaning up his cut," her mother instructed.

Aloy watched Rayana carry the pot of stew to the table at which she sat. She sat next to Aloy, ankles crossed, with her hands in her lap.

It wasn't long before her mother picked up her son once more and carried him over to the table. She sat him down in a chair. The boy now had a bandage over his cut, the blood on his face wiped away. His features had calmed and softened, his blues eyes no longer held fear. In the dim light, Aloy could see the boy had more color on his face than when she rescued him from the ledge.

The mother grabbed four wooden spoons from the same cabinet Rayana got the bowl from and set them on the table. "Kailus, eat your stew," she said, handing him a spoon. "Anointed, I'm sorry, would you like something to drink?" She asked Aloy, flustered.

Aloy stood and placed a hand on her shoulder, for a moment the woman looked like she was going to cry, but Aloy gave her a soft, reassuring smile. "I'm fine, thank you though," she said just as sweet as her smile. "And please, call me Aloy."

The woman's shoulders sagged as she let out a breath. "I can't believe how bad of a host I'm being," she said with disbelief, turning to the cabinet to grab bowls.

Aloy quickly tried to reassure her. "You're doing an excellent job. Don't feel like you need to treat me like royalty. I grew up having rocks thrown at me; the little hospitality showed to me I'll take," Aloy laughed.

The woman turned around and made a face. "Rocks?" she inquired.

"I grew up as an outcast," Aloy shrugged.

"Why?" Rayana asked, butting into the conversation.

"Rayana," her mother warned, shaking her head.

Aloy held up a hand, "it's ok."

"So why were you outcast?" Rayana asked again.

Aloy looked at her mother who was pouring stew into bowls. She looked for any signs of disapproval, but the mother just nodded and returned to her task.

"You know how most people in the tribe call me ‘Anointed'?" Aloy asked gently, sitting down once more.

Rayana nodded.

"Well, that's because All-Mother gave birth to me," Aloy continued.

Rayana wore a face of confusion. "Ok? Well if All-Mother is your Mother, then why were you outcast?" She asked.

"Well you see, the All-Mother left no clues as to who my mother was, the Matriarchs just found me in the Great Chamber. This lead some Matriarchs to fear me, so I was raised by another outcast. I eventually became part of the tribe, but most people don't like outcasts."

"Did you have any friends?"

"No," Aloy sighed. "But I had my bow and spear to keep me company," she added as the mother set bowls of soup on the table.

"Aloy is a very skilled warrior, Rayana," the mother said, joining them at the small table. "Many Braves look up to her," she said blowing on her bowl of stew.

Somehow her words had halted the conversation, and they ate in silence.

Aloy had never received such hospitality from the Nora tribe before. Even after The Proving, it was always: "Outcast gone Seeker" or "Aloy, the Motherless Seeker." The family before her obeyed her wish just to be called Aloy in less than a heartbeat. The mother displayed such love for her children that warmed Aloy's heart, but it also reminded her of the tender care she was denied as a child. Rayana reminded Aloy so much of herself as a seven-year-old. The way Rayana eyed her focus wanting to know more, but not wanting to break taboo. And Kailus was quiet, hardly spoke a word. It could be he just didn't understand, or he was just too shy to join in on the conversation.

"So, Aloy?" The mother's words tore through Aloy's thoughts. "Rumor has it that can communicate with the All-Mother."

"Rumor is correct," Aloy smiled. "It's quite complicated, but yes I can communicate with Her."

The mother nodded. "She must be very proud of you."

Aloy lowered her head. GAIA never blatantly said, "I'm proud of you." Rather, she would replace herself with Elisabet and say: "Elisabet would have been proud of you."

"My relationship with the All-Mother is complicated, but yes I do believe she is proud of me," Aloy said, trying to sugarcoat her pain.

"If Rayana did even half of what you have done, I would be beyond proud," she said, rubbing the back of Rayana's head. "Even if I knew she could handle herself, I would go to the ends of the Earth to ensure her happiness, even if it meant risking my own."

Aloy smiled as Rayana hugged her mother. Something Aloy dreamed of often.

Before Aloy discovered Elisabet's body, she would create scenarios in her head. With her juvenile hope of meeting her "mother," she created the perfect outcome. Discovering Elisabet, alive, at her home, embracing her with a child's delight. In her naïve mind, there was still a chance, a sliver of hope, that Elisabet was still alive. So, when she discovered her body at its final resting place, she matured faster than she believed she could.

After Aloy had returned to the Nora after her last trip to GAIA Prime, there was a strange feeling of regret pulling at her thoughts. Elisabet's journal stung. It really did. Everyone deserves to have time for themselves. But for someone to die with having spent little to none of their time for themselves, made Elisabet's death sting even more so than before.

While Aloy found herself feeling a wave of emotions after discovering the journal, there was still something so clear about what needed to be done. It was sharp, clean, blatantly obvious. Aloy knew what needed to be done, what SHE wanted to be done.

The question was… Could she pull it off?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow ok. First off I am so sorry for the delay, I had my wisdom teeth taken out, and things just went down hill from there.  
> The characters I introduced in this chapter will have relevance later, I promise. 
> 
> I would just like to say that I love everyone in this fandom. The response I got to this was the best I've gotten... like ever. So thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of you who have taken the time to leave kudos and possibly a comment.  
> If you have ANY questions about the story just ask, I am more than happy to talk. I promise I won't bite (so long as you don't talk about Ted Faro). 
> 
> Till' the next time :)


End file.
